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6/4/2024 8:30:00 AM
Thousands of Minnesotans covered by MinnesotaCare need to start paying monthly premiums again this summer to keep their insurance. Monthly premiums were paused during the pandemic.
About 46,000 Minnesotans with lower incomes who rely on MinnesotaCare should watch their mail for a bill from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Enrollees must pay their premium by the due date on their bill to avoid losing coverage. The first bill is due June 13.
“MinnesotaCare serves Minnesotans facing financial struggles, so we want them to know about the return of this monthly bill,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “Our family, friends and neighbors on MinnesotaCare play important roles as farmers, child-care workers, small-business owners and more. We want to help them keep their coverage and their access to health care services and prescriptions.”
Although MinnesotaCare premiums are returning, some Minnesotans will continue to pay no premium while others will have reduced premiums through the end of 2025, thanks to the federal Inflation Reduction Act. About 102,000 people are enrolled in MinnesotaCare.
MinnesotaCare enrollees may be out of practice with paying premiums. MinnesotaCare premiums were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing economic relief to earners with the lowest incomes. The pause continued in 2023 while the state restarted annual eligibility checks known as renewals for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare.
Enrollees who fail to pay their premium will receive a grace month of coverage before losing their insurance. Minnesotans can apply for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare coverage at any time with the help of a navigator or online at MNsure.org. To re-enroll in MinnesotaCare coverage, people who have lost their insurance have to pay the past-due premium for the grace month and a premium for the future month of coverage.
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